


Minefield

by smarshtastic



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Army, Covert Operation, Explosions, Gen, Rescue Missions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-03
Updated: 2018-08-03
Packaged: 2019-06-06 09:02:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15191378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smarshtastic/pseuds/smarshtastic
Summary: A mission with the Egyptian Army goes wrong, and two unexpected people come to Fareeha's rescue.---This was written forThe Rocket Queen: A Zine about Fareeha Amari!





	Minefield

**Author's Note:**

> You can follow me on [tumblr](wictorwictor.tumblr.com) or [twitter](twitter.com/smarshtastic)!

After the dust settles and the explosions die down, Fareeha can catch her breath. Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong, and it’s not over yet. She knows that this respite is only a brief one - they have to be ready to go again at a moment’s notice. She looks at her squad, at their tired, slumped shoulders, and feels herself straighten instinctively. There’s no time to show her weariness; she has to be strong for them. 

“Five minutes,” she says. “Then we move out.”

They don’t grumble. Canteens are passed around and one or two of Fareeha’s teammates lean against each other to catch a few precious minutes of sleep. Fareeha can’t afford to do the same right now. She takes the time to check the mission parameters again, reorient herself to the lay of the land, and plot an alternate escape route. By the time five minutes are up, Fareeha has a renewed confidence in her plan. She calls for her squadmates to move out, and they fall into line in spite of their tiredness. They trust Fareeha to get them out of there safely. 

All they have to do is get to the extraction point. It should be a simple task, but nothing about this mission has been simple. Fareeha normally doesn’t question the orders that come from on high, but something about this assignment was rotten from the start. This sort of high-risk mission isn’t within their normal parameters; it was sold to them as a reward for their excellent track record, that their highly skilled squad is particularly well-suited to the mission’s requirements. Looking back at the briefing she had with her commanding officer, Fareeha can’t help but feel like she’s been played. There’s something bigger going on that she isn’t party to. 

This is a mission meant for a special ops group, not her own. Fareeha is confident in her squad’s skills, no question, but there are almost certainly better people suited to tackle the assignment. 

She can worry about that later. Right now, all she needs to do is get everyone home safe. 

There’s a stretch of exposed territory that they have to cross, a wide-open plot of land with no cover between here and their route to the extraction point. They hesitate in the shadow of the ruined building beside them, eyes sliding to Fareeha. Her jaw is set. 

“Move out,” she says. “Quickly.”

The squad presses forward, weapons drawn, alert and ready. It’s a good intention, but they couldn’t have known the bare land was a minefield. 

The first explosion sends Fareeha stumbling, her ears ringing. She shouts orders to fall back, but she can’t even hear herself over the din. Dust and smoke and particles of rock cloud her vision. She can’t see her teammates. She can’t hear anything. She turns on the spot in time to see one of her teammates stumble and go down. Fareeha launches herself towards him, covering him with her body. She feels heat at her back as she pitches forward, her world going black. 

=-=-=

The light is too bright when Fareeha comes to. Her head aches, her ears are still ringing. She squeezes her eyes closed again. 

“Hey,” a familiar, low voice says somewhere above her. A heavy hand rests on her shoulder. Fareeha reopens her eyes with a tremendous effort. It takes a moment for the figure above her to resolve into someone she recognizes: Gabriel Reyes, in full Blackwatch tac gear and bathed in the yellow glow of a biotic field. She blinks, confused. “You took a beating. Don’t move too much.”

“She awake?” another voice asks somewhere outside of Fareeha’s line of sight. She tries to turn her head toward the voice but it hurts her neck. 

“Yeah.”

The other person comes into view: Jesse McCree, also in his Blackwatch gear. He grins down at her. Nothing about this is making any sense. 

“I thought we taught you better than charging right into a minefield,” Jesse says. 

“Didn’t know,” Fareeha croaks, making a face. She shifts again, the sequence of events coming back to her in flashes. She tries to raise her head. “My squad…?”

“They’re alright,” Jesse says. “We got to you just in time.”

Fareeha closes her eyes again. She feels Gabriel’s hand on her shoulder again. He squeezes it gently. 

“Just relax,” Gabriel says. “We’ll get you back to where you need to be.”

Fareeha realizes the humming she was hearing was the sound of a transport shuttle. She tries to look past Jesse, but it strains her eyes too much. 

“Why are you here?” she asks instead, turning her gaze up to Jesse, then Gabriel. Jesse’s eyes slide to Gabriel before he answers. 

“The usual reasons - cleaning up other people’s messes,” Jesse says with a shrug. 

“Don’t worry too much about it,” Gabriel adds. Fareeha frowns - she’s not a kid any more, they don’t have to protect her - but she hurts too much to really question it right now. “We’re just glad we were in the right place at the right time.”

Fareeha nods a little. She’s having a hard time staying awake - her limbs feel heavy, her head is pounding. She feels Gabriel’s hand squeeze her shoulder again, gently, before he pulls his hand away. 

“Rest,” he says. Fareeha nods again, letting her eyes slip closed. As she lets unconsciousness take her again, she feels Jesse sit down close next to Gabriel, the two of them forming a protective wall around her. 

=-=-=

Gabriel and Jesse’s team take Fareeha’s to the army base. Jesse helps Fareeha out of the shuttle as Gabriel strides ahead. She leans heavily into Jesse’s shoulder as she looks back to check on her team.

“We’ve got ‘em, Fareeha,” Jesse reassures her. “Careful now. Don’t want you to take another spill.” 

Up ahead, Gabriel is speaking with one of the more intimidating higher ups. If Fareeha was feeling better, she’d want to bear witness to  _ that  _ tête-à-tête. Instead, she lets Jesse take her to medical, where the sharp smell of astringent and fresh bandages is almost overwhelming. Jesse hovers for a moment before he finally takes a step back. 

“I gotta give Gabriel a hand,” he says. “But I’ll come back later to check on you, alright?”

Fareeha nods and watches him slip away as the doctor with the cold hands checks over her wounds. 

She’s sitting on the edge of an exam bed holding an ice pack to her ribcage as a nurse treats burns on her back when the general himself comes in. Fareeha straightens instinctively, making something inside pull horribly. The general holds up a hand. 

“At ease,” he says. “I don’t want you to hurt yourself on my behalf.”

“Yes sir,” Fareeha says. She doesn’t want to stare, but the general doesn’t just  _ show up _ unannounced. 

“I heard you had quite an unexpected situation out in the field.”

“Yes sir,” she says, wondering where he’s going with this. His eyes scan her face, his expression unreadable. 

“Your bravery today is truly admirable,” the general says. “You exemplify the values of the Egyptian army and we’re proud to call you one of our own.”

Fareeha’s eyes narrow slightly. “Thank you sir,” she says. He goes on, pontificating, but Fareeha is only half-listening. It feels like a lot of talk for a mission that wasn’t supposed to be given to her team in the first place. 

“Sir, can I ask,” she interrupts. The general stops mid-sentence and blinks at her, unused to the insubordination. Fareeha takes the window and presses on. “Why were we deployed in the first place? If Overwatch was already there...”

“Ah,” the general says. He straightens. “It’s a matter of international security. Rest assured that your team was well-suited to the job as it was initially conceived, and the circumstances that led to the mission being compromised were wholly unforeseen.”

He’s still talking, but Fareeha isn’t really listening. He’s not going to give her a straight answer. She nods and shakes his hand and is left wondering what exactly is going on. 

Eventually, the nurse leaves too, and Fareeha is left alone on the bed. She’s supposed to be resting but her mind is still spinning. A soft knock on the door interrupts her thoughts. She looks up to see Gabriel in the doorway. 

“How’re you feeling?” he asks, coming over to stand by her bed. 

“Confused,” she says. “Not that I’m not thrilled to see you, but…”

Gabriel purses his lips. “I wish it was under different circumstances too.”

“What’s going on, Gabriel?” Fareeha asks. Gabriel shakes his head. 

“You know I can’t say.”

Fareeha makes a frustrated noise. She gestures at her bandaged wounds. 

“Don’t you think I deserve to know? I’m not a kid anymore,” she says. Gabriel reaches for her hand, clasping it between both of his own. She doesn’t pull away, even though she wants to. 

“I know,” Gabriel says, a strange look on his face. He looks older, more tired than Fareeha remembers. “You do. There’s - there’s a lot going on right now.”

“Hey,” Jesse says, poking his head in. His eyes find Gabriel and he jerks a thumb over his shoulder. “The shuttle’s ready to go, but I wanted to say goodbye too.”

“You’re leaving?” Fareeha asks. Jesse gives her an apologetic look. 

“Places to go, people to see,” Jesse says, coming over to the bed. He leans down and gives her a tight hug. “Sorry, Fareeha. Wish we could stay. Duty calls and all that.” 

Fareeha pulls her hand out of Gabriel’s to hug Jesse back. She suddenly has a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. She tightens her arms around his shoulders. Jesse pulls away and then Gabriel takes his place. He touches her cheek as he pulls away. 

“Take care of yourself, alright Fareeha?”

She nods. Gabriel and Jesse leave, leaving her alone in the military hospital room with a growing unease. Fareeha lies back on the bed, wondering what comes next. 


End file.
